Nonviolent Resistance in the Western Sahara
In November of 2010, Moroccan news media reported on the violent riots taking place in Laayoune, the capital city of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara. The television coverage focused on violence enacted by the protesters.
Nationalism, Identity and Citizenship in The Western Sahara
This article explores the processes of development and naturalisation of the Saharawi national identity that emerged during the 1970s under the leadership of the Frente Polisario and argues that in order to understand the Western Sahara conflict it is necessary to analyse the hegemonic policies implemented by both the Polisario and Morocco.
Morocco’s new constitution and the Western Sahara conflict – a missed opportunity?
Morocco’s new constitution of July 2011 brought very little change and hardly touches on the King’s privileges. It continues with the same autocratic system of patronage and clientelism, long associated with those close to the King, ignoring what had been requested by the protesters in Morocco and promised by the King.
Conflicting International Policies and the Western Sahara Stalemate
A major obstacle to North African integration and an important factor in strained Algerian-Moroccan relations, the conflict in Western Sahara attracts little attention. This ‘‘frozen conflict’’ or ‘‘forgotten conflict’’ represents an insignificant priority for major powers, notably France and the United States.
Natural resources and intifada: oil, phosphates and resistance to colonialism in Western Sahara
Rich in resources and small in population, Western Sahara, partially occupied since 1975 by neighbouring Morocco, has a history shaped to a large extent by its natural wealth. Indeed, sovereignty over the country’s phosphates became a key claim of the pro-independence, anti-Spanish Saharawi movement in the early 1970s.